J. Herbert Nelson contributes statment on proposed upgrade of Malaysia’s trafficking status

Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment

For Immediate Release: July 10, 2015      

Contacts:

Stephanie Niedringhaus 202-347-9797, ext. 224 sniedringhaus@networklobby.org

Chloe Schwabe 202-832-1780 cschwabe@maryknoll.org

Religious groups oppose State Department’s proposed upgrade of Malaysia’s trafficking status

Groups fear final Customs bill could further weaken trafficking, other standards to protect vulnerable populations.

Fourteen religious organizations with a presence in the U.S. and in countries overseas today sent a letter to members of a conference committee in Congress to express deep moral concerns related to H.R. 644, the “Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015” (also referred to as the Customs bill), particularly the version that passed in the House. The chief concern was that the final bill could weaken strong anti-trafficking provision in the trade promotion authority bill signed into law June 29, 2015.

It has been reported that Malaysia, a country that the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking In Persons report had elevated to a “Tier 3” country for their lack of action to combat trafficking will be back to a “Tier 2” status this year. Malaysia is a party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement that the Obama Administration hopes to complete by the end of 2015.

According to Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, “This can only be seen as a cynical political action meant to bolster Malaysia’s trade status with the U.S. at the expense of countless human trafficking victims. Coming so soon after the discovery in May of almost 150 graves in Malaysian camps of trafficking victims, the State Department’s reported decision cannot be justified on any level.”

Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, II, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness stated: “The United States' willingness to compromise on holding Malaysia accountable for its human rights abuses simply to secure the Trans-Pacific Partnership is yet another mark of a broken trading system. Actions such as this show an active disregard for those with the least power in our societies. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) does not support the TPP, nor does it support weakening our stance against human trafficking in any form. As a country, our diplomacy should be focused on improving the quality of life for all individuals around the world - without exception.”

“We are very concerned about the possible upgrading of Malaysia from the lowest tier of the U.S. State Department annual Trafficking in Persons list of worst human trafficking countries,” reported Ann Scholz, SSND, Associate Director for Social Mission, Leadership Conference of Women Religious. “It is problematic on many levels. It disregards the suffering and death of trafficked persons in Malaysia; sends a dangerous message to countries who continue to turn a blind eye to the exploitation of persons within their borders; and threatens the integrity of the TIP report and the commitment of the U.S. government to ending human trafficking.”

“In April 2014, Pope Francis condemned human trafficking as a crime against humanity, a scourge and an open wound in contemporary society. The TIP report has been an important tool to encourage governments to curb and one day end this terrible offense,” reported Gerry Lee, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, “We urge the State Department to uphold high standards rather than to make exceptions for countries when convenient for economic gains for the few that will benefit from the TPP.”

The Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment is a group committed to asserting a stronger presence of communities of faith in public policy discussions on trade and investment.

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Faith Groups Join Call to End Family Detention

Rev. Dr.  J. Herbert Nelson II met with White House staff, representing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), along with representatives of 17 other faith groups, to discuss the need for a decisive end to family detention. The press release, with his statement, is below. 

Also, find it on the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) website here.

Check out some great resources and action items on family detention on the Office of General Assembly's page.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 25, 2015

Contact: Shaina Aber, 202-629-5918, saber@jesuits.org

FAITH GROUPS JOIN CALL TO END FAMILY DETENTION

Washington, DC – Last Thursday, May 21, a group of 18 faith leaders met with White House Staff to call for the end to family detention, delivering a letter signed by nearly 1,500 faith leaders from around the country. These leaders join calls by a growing number of Congressional members, civil society groups, and advocates to end this inhumane practice once and for all.

The U.S. government reinstated family detention in response to the arrival of 68, 684 family units at the U.S./Mexico border in 2014. Currently, over 1500 refugee mothers and children from Central America are being incarcerated in three detention centers in Karnes City, TX; Dilley, TX; and Berks County, PA. In 2009, the Obama administration closed the T. Don Hutto detention facility in Taylor, Texas due to complaints of abuse and poor conditions. Advocates and those currently detained report similar abuse as well as inadequate nutrition and medical care.

A lawsuit challenging the administration on this practice was set to be resolved this weekend, but negotiations between the parties have been extended until June 12, with a final agreement expected on June 19. Administration attorneys maintain that detention allows for greater flexibility in responding to surges of unauthorized migration.

Below are statements from faith groups that participated in the White House meeting:

“As Jesuits we stand in solidarity with the mothers, infants, toddlers, children and teens being unjustly incarcerated in so-called “family immigration detention” facilities. The overwhelming majority of these children and mothers are asylum seekers who fled unspeakable violence and are searching for safe-haven within our borders. We call on the Obama Administration to end this corrosive and immoral practice immediately. These families are not flight risks, they quite obviously pose no danger to our communities. There is simply no excuse for the continued detention of mothers, children, toddlers and babies in any immigration detention facility in the United States. This shocking practice should not be the legacy of President Obama’s policy toward refugees and immigrants.” —Very Rev. Fr. Timothy P. Kesicki, SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of the United States and Canada

“Family detention conflicts with the very core of the Quaker principle to honor that of God in each person. Any policy that detains families, asylum seekers or refugees is both immoral and illegal under U.S. and international law. We believe that family detention allows private prison corporations to profit off of migrants’ desperation. We call for an end to all family detention -- it is dehumanizing and it inhibits access to legal assistance. We’ve also seen that it damages physical, mental and familial health. And, worst of all, it is completely unnecessary.” — Diane Randall, Executive Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation

“In the name of justice and mercy, I call on the administration to change its response to the desperate cry of refugee mothers and children fleeing violence and crushing poverty in Central America. Instead of offering protection and opportunities to pursue their asylum cases, we have locked them up en masse, replicating the trauma from which they flee. With this two-week delay on the final outcome of the court case challenging this practice, these mothers and children continue to suffer. We are a better nation than our actions demonstrate; mercy for these mothers and children ought to be our only option at this time. Family detention must end now.”

— Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II, Director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness

"Over the next two weeks, Sisters of Mercy ask the Obama administration to take immediate actions to end the shameful policy of incarcerating refugee woman and children. President Obama's decision to comply or to appeal Judge Dolly Gee's ruling will determine his legacy on immigration, as much as his fight for comprehensive immigration reform and deferred action."

– Sr. Patricia McDermott, President of the Sister of Mercy of the Americas.

“Mass detention shatters families and traumatizes children. The extension of time for agreement in the court case on family detention means these women and children will continue to suffer. Since the Order was formed in the early 19th century in France, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd have dedicated their lives to protecting women and children.  They condemn this detention of innocent people. As Director of the The National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, and speaking on behalf of the Sisters and lay staff in 74 countries, I strongly urge the government to immediately end this shameful detention policy.” — Lawrence Couch, Director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

“Many within our Disciples of Christ churches are deeply concerned about the practice of family detention, which has re-emerged in the past year as a method for housing children of all ages and mothers who have fled to the United States to seek protection from horrific violence in Central America.  Nearly all are eligible for asylum.  We have prayed, visited, and supported the spiritual care of these vulnerable populations, and continue to urge the Obama administration to turn away from the practice of family detention, which locks up children in unlicensed facilities often run by for-profit prison companies.  Instead, we urge the administration employ much more humane alternatives to detention which promote healing and offer legal and mental support and hope for God’s children.”— Rev. Dr. Ron Degges, President of Disciples Home Missions      

Action Alert: Raise the Wage!

“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages …” (Jer. 22:13)

While the value of the minimum wage in 1968 is equivalent to $10.79 in 2015 dollars[1], the current federal minimum wage remains at $7.25, last increased by Congress in 2007 with the final increase taking effect in 2009. Contrary to popular rhetoric that this wage primarily impacts teenagers, eighty-eight percent of minimum-wage workers are over twenty years old; fifty-six percent of them are women.[2]

Two weeks ago, Senator Patty Murray (WA) and Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA) introduced the Raise the Wage Act (S.1150/H.R. 2150) to address this issue.

This legislation, if enacted, would

• Raise the federal minimum wage to $12 by 2020, starting with an increase to $8.00 an hour in 2016

• Gradually eliminate the tipped-industry loophole, which has allowed employers of tipped workers to pay a subminimum wage of only $2.13 per hour to tipped staff since 1991; and

• Index the minimum wage to median income, so as to maintain its value to low-wage workers and provide stability and predictability for employers.

Why the Minimum Wage is Important

One of the most notable parts of this legislation is its elimination of the tipped wage, which has created a sub-class of minimum wage workers. Tipped workers are more than two times as likely as other workers to experience poverty.[3] In no other industry are wages determined by customer satisfaction or mood.[4] Furthermore, there is no enforcement mechanism to ensure employers close the gap for employees whose tips do not reach the $7.25/hour threshold (the Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to make up the difference between their workers’ after-tip income and $7.25 per hour). [5] Seven states have already leveled the playing field for tipped workers. [6]

This Raise the Wage Act would impact 38 million workers, particularly benefiting women and people of color who disproportionately live in poverty. Thirty-two percent of women in the workforce would see their paychecks increase; thirty-seven percent of African American workers and forty percent of Hispanic workers would see a rise in their paychecks. Twenty-four percent of all U.S. children (18.7 million) have a parent who would get a raise.[7]

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have already raised their minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage, recognizing the inadequacy of the federal minimum wage. Moreover, twenty cities have also risen to the challenge to raise the wage.[8]

The time is now. Call on your Congressional members to act to #RaisetheWage.

Higher Minimum wage is Key to Ending Poverty

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) supports social safety net programs and tax credits that help to lift people out of poverty, but it has spoken out about the necessity of a living wage as a foundation for a healthy economy and society.

The 183rd General Assembly (1977) “….Reaffirm[ed] the actions of previous General Assemblies supporting the right of every employable person to a job, decent and safe working conditions, and a salary adequate to meet at least his or her basic needs.” 

In 2006, the 217^th General Assembly called for an increase in the federal minimum wage, saying that our society should have the “the goal of a wage level sufficient to lift full-time workers out of poverty.”[9]

Even though $12 per hour is not a living wage for many workers, this legislation is a step in the right direction. Congress will no longer have to act to raise the wage. Instead, the minimum wage will increase yearly according to the “annual percentage increase in the median hourly wage of all employees as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”[10]

Supporting Striking Federal Contract Workers

Currently, federal contract workers in Washington, D.C., earn the federal minimum wage, despite the city’s recent wage increase to $10 per hour, rising to $11.50 per hour in 2016.[11] The Office of Public Witness Director J. Herbert Nelson, has joined with local workers to call on the federal government to set an example for businesses in its respect for workers’ rights and a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.

In recent years, Nelson has participated in several strikes with federal contract workers who have been organizing for a living wage of $15 an hour, protections against wage theft, reliable work schedules, and the protection of collective bargaining. President Obama has responded with Executive orders raising the wage on new contracts to $10.10 per hour and protecting workers against wage theft. The President still has the opportunity to issue executive orders giving contract preferences to employers to create good jobs and collectively bargain with their workforce.

Nelson spoke at a ‘Good Jobs Nation’ event on April 22, declaring, “But now I say – I want my tax dollars to create good jobs – with livable wages, benefits, paid sick days, safe workplaces, reliable schedules, and the right to bargain collectively for the good of the whole.”

Read his full remarks here

Let your Senators and Representatives know you support raising the wage today.

[1] http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

[2] http://www.epi.org/publication/wage-workers-older-88-percent-workers-benefit/

[3] https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/20140325minimumwageandwomenreportfinal.pdf

[4] http://www.npr.org/2014/06/29/326715347/for-tipped-workers-a-different-minimum-wage-battle

[5] http://www.npr.org/2014/06/29/326715347/for-tipped-workers-a-different-minimum-wage-battle

[6] http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm#foot2

[7] http://www.chn.org/2015/04/30/raise-the-wage-act-would-help-millions-of-working-families/#.VVpVUFVVhBe

[8] https://www.nelp.org/content/uploads/2015/03/City-Minimum-Wage-Laws-Recent-Trends-Economic-Evidence.pdf

[9] http://pc-biz.org/PC-Biz.WebApp_deploy/(S(yr050i5qfm0ace0dn2bqhl2d))/Explorer.aspx?id=1353

[10] https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1150/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22raise+the+wage+2015%22%5D%7D

[11] http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-council-to-vote-on-1150-minimum-wage/2013/12/03/317d68b8-5b72-11e3-a66d-156b463c78aa_story.html

Action Alert-- Faithful Budget

The Faithful Way Forward: 2016 Budget 
 

Last month, The PC(USA) Office of Public Witness worked with other faith partners to offer a briefing for Congress on the "Faithful Budget," a document written by the faith community about our nation's financial priorities. The Reverend J. Herbert Nelson joined with Sister Simone Campbell, Rabbi Jonah Pesner, and Maggie Siddiqi in calling for a budget that prioritizes people and livelihood, not corporate profit or greed. This included calling for—

Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Sr. Simone Campbell, Maggie Siddiqi,
and the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson

• Preservation of the social safety net, essential programs serving the most vulnerable people
• Investment in health care, access to which is essential to the shalom and wellbeing of all people
• A serious look at our spending priorities when comparing over-investment in the mechanisms of war and underinvestment in human capital
• A progressive tax code that not only brings in enough revenue to pay for what is most important, but also reduces inequality by making sure that all people have enough – not too much and not too little

Download the complete briefing packet here.

In April, both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have passed budgets that would repeal the Affordable Care Act, turn Medicaid into a block grant, and cut billions of dollars from nutrition and education programs, all while increasing spending on overseas wars and cutting taxes for the wealthiest.

Please email your members of Congress this week. Ask them to create a budget that is aligned with the Faithful Budget and cares for the needs of all of all people, not just the wealthy few.

In preparation for the briefing, J. Herbert Nelson wrote:

“As a follower of Christianity, I believed that ‘to whom much is given, much will be required.’ God’s justice insists that those who have much must contribute to the good of all. Indeed, God’s vision of shalom wants a society in which each of us has enough -- not too much and not too little. We are living in a new Gilded Age where the gap between rich and poor grows ever deeper. Today’s worship of money and things is nothing less than idolatry and justice requires us to change if we are gong to live up to God’s radical vision for us. Responsible taxation in a linchpin of a democratic society and from a Christian perspective, greater tax justice is necessary and a key response to rising inequality.”

Read all of J. Herbert Nelson’s remarks on tax justice and the Faithful Budget.

View J. Herbert’s remarks on YouTube.

The Faithful Budget principles are available here.

Tax Justice Can Address Inequality: J. Herbert's Remarks on A Faithful Budget

Tax Justice is Essential to a Faithful Federal Budget

Remarks as prepared by J. Herbert Nelson

Faithful Budget Congressional Budget Briefing

April 28, 2015

My name is J. Herbert Nelson and I am the Director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness. Over the last several years, our Church has expressed increasing concern over inequality in our society. In the Gospel of Luke, we Christians are taught that “to whom much is given, much will be required” (12:48). As a faith coalition, you will hear that we are calling for “reasonable revenue for responsible programs,” AND today, speaking for the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I would add to that the tax code is not only a way to make sure we have enough revenue to pay for the programs we think are important; but also it is a tool for reducing inequality and leveling society. The Presbyterian General Assembly issued a new statement on tax justice last year, in which it said, “Paying taxes is part of a set of moral obligations for a coherent social order.” Those who have been blessed with abundance must contribute more to the good of all.

That Assembly last year called this period we are living in “a New Gilded Age” and said that tax justice requires change if we are going to live faithfully to our conscience and to the ethical concerns for the common good shared by all citizens.  However, the recent events in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s killing in Ferguson, MO, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore, MD on yesterday reveal a deeper sense of frustration in disenfranchised communities. I am led to define this moment – great economic disparity and deep-rooted systemic racism – as the emergence of a new poor people’s movement in the United States. The massive numbers of persons across this country that are marginalized in communities redlined from jobs, transportation, decent wages, education and opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living are coming together in thought and common sympathies.

On yesterday in Baltimore, we saw children take to the streets looting and burning. Their actions represent a weariness of being taken advantage of by people in high places who possess the majority of the wealth; carve out for themselves the greater portion of tax breaks; and then pass the tax burden on to the poor. The ironic aspect of this struggle is witnessed last night and today on social media. Many former middle class Anglo-Americans who lost their jobs during the recession and/or returned to a workplace where their jobs are downgraded after the recession are sympathizing with these children and adults who looted and rioted yesterday. Although many struggle with the rioting based on their predisposition for peace, their concerns expressed are more germane to the absence of efforts to improve public education; establish a jobs program; strengthen a social safety net that helps workers who are not making an adequate wage, so that they can pay more toward taxes without being driven into the ditches of economic despair. These much needed building blocks within our nation can only be accomplished with a fair tax system at the roots of public policy. But this is not the case today.

Just taxation is a key tool for enabling communities to thrive, for advancing science and culture, for sustaining democratic institutions, and for ensuring a strong social safety net that is there to catch people when they fall. Each citizen has an affirmative duty to contribute to the common good by paying their fair share of taxes.

There is both an ethical and economic case for a fairer tax code. The U.S. tax system is regressive. Poorer and middle class households pay a higher proportion of their income in payroll, state and local taxes, including sales tax – at higher rates than those who pay lower tax rates on unearned income like capital gains and carried interest. In other words, those who make their living through investments are taxed sometimes at a lower rate than those who work 40 hours per week standing at a cash register or restocking shelves. Further, tax mechanisms, like the Estate Tax, that produce revenue from higher income households have been unnecessarily weakened in a time of increased wealth disparity and excessive influence of private interests in public policy. And those who itemize their tax returns can take advantage of huge deductions that reduce their proportionate tax liability, while low- and middle-income families settle for the standard deduction. This disparity in our tax code -- the difference in the way we tax earned and unearned income -- and the lack of overall progressivity when you look at all the levied taxes, not just the income tax code, means that those with less in our society bear a greater proportionate tax burden than those who have more. This must be fixed. Just taxation is a foundation of a moral society’s answer to poverty and its close relatives, inequality, economic insecurity, and social immobility.

We do support , in many instances, credits like the earned income tax credit  -- the EITC -- and the refundable Child Tax Credit, help ensure working people a living wage, are both are longstanding features of the tax code, supported historically by both liberals and conservatives. The need for this kind of investment is very great today, and the EITC, Child Tax Credit, or similar measures aimed at keeping working families out of poverty, should be expanded, made fully refundable, and made permanent.

We do believe there are measures this particular congress can take to help rebuild the fiber and the life, but more importantly to rebuild this nation in a way of awareness about what it means to live in community and to forge community, without having to take or rob from anyone to give to someone else. We ought to pay our fair share, and we ought to be reminded as our gospel and the Christian faith informs us that as we’ve done to the least of these my brothers and sisters, we’ve also done unto our God and unto ourselves.

Full Speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrpZ90wI_Y8